Calling all Moms! Need your help...

We’re headed to the doctor for our 24 week appointment tomorrow morning bright and early and we're also trying to decide a couple things…

A)     Do we want to give birth at a hospital or at the birthing center?
B)     What birth plan is right for us? (We just started HypBirth, but we're also reading about the Bradley Method as well.)

It’s also very important for us to have a natural delivery if at all possible. We’ve come up with a list of questions, wants/needs (possible demands ;) ) below. Let me know if you would recommend any other questions to consider or have any overall input for a new mommy-to-be. :)

1. We would like to have a natural birth, with no drugs if possible. (no pitocin, epidural, stadol and no episiotomy)
2.  Can I eat and drink during labor?
3.  We would like to avoid being induced unless it is absolutely necessary. Do you use cervadil or cytotec?
4.  I would like to be able to be mobile and not confined to the bed during the entire labor process. Is this possible?
5. Can I get a Hep Lock so that I can move around without the pole? (ie. only have to be hooked to the pole when I am getting IV fluids.)
6. Do I have to deliver lying flat on my back?
7. What percentage of your patients require cesarean sections?
8. For which situations do you most commonly perform a cesarean section?
9. I would like the baby placed immediately on my chest after birth and cord clamping delayed. Is this doable?
10. Can I nurse my baby immediately?
11. Will I be separated from my baby at any time following delivery?
12. We would only like for our baby to have the necessary shots following birth.( ie.Vitamin K and Hep B are debatable)

Looking forward to your feedback!

Freebies!

I love free stuff and now with a baby on the way my interest in freebies has grown exponentially. Recently I was able to score a free baby carrier, pack of chemical-free diapers, wipes and family cleaning kit (detergent, baby shampoo, lotion, healing balm and soap) with only paying a minimal shipping fee.

I got the baby carrier or baby sling from a site called Seven Slings by using the promo code "FAMILY2012". The baby sling is normally $48 and I made out only paying $11 for shipping. They also have a ton of fun fabrics to choose from. I personally loved the Northern Lights and Caramel Latte fabric. It fit well and I'm excited to use it!

I ordered the chemical-free diapers and family cleaning kit today from a site called Honest.com. I got over $100 worth of baby stuff for only $4.95 shipping cost. Given, I do have to cancel my membership with them within 7 days of receiving the items, but I had a friend do this and she had raving reviews regarding their items and customer service. I look forward to getting these items soon and updating everyone.

I'm sure everyone else has come across some great freebies as well. If anyone else has any online freebies to share, I would love to hear about it! Please comment if so.

Some things are priceless...

I try to call my grandpa often. He is a man of few words around strangers, but he is the BEST story teller with family and friends. He has a way of making the simplest story hilarious and he will have you hanging on to every word just waiting for the story’s ending. 

I’ve noticed lately, he always tells me he loves me. Maybe he has always done this and I took it for granted or maybe as he has gotten older he just wants me to know he loves me.  

I didn’t even realize how much he cares for me until this past year. I feel like we’ve grown closer in the last few years and we talk often since my mamaw passed. This Christmas was particularly special to me because his gift to me was priceless. 

Joel and I had wanted a factory cart table like the one at Restoration Hardware. Yeah I know, I can’t believe they are selling for over $1000 either! I had seen these when I was growing up and I knew they were fairly common in my home town. I asked my papaw about it over the summer and he laughed. He couldn’t believe I wanted to use an old factory cart as a coffee table and he really couldn’t believe they were selling for so much. Especially since he had just bought two for $15!

He said, “What do you want with that old thing? It’s dirty and old.” He had two motors spread out on his carts and he was using them as work stations, probably what their best used for. I told him we just liked the look of them and asked him if he would keep an eye out for more. He said he would.

We really hadn’t thought too much more about it. When I went home for Christmas, I learned he had a surprise for me. At this point, I had forgotten all about our conversation regarding the cart table. He took me in his shop and there it was. A cart table, but not just any old cart table, a hand-made cart table. Hand-made with my papaw’s hands.

He had been working on it for weeks and said he had never made anything like that before. He got most of the wood (pine and cherry) from his land. Land that I grew up spending so much time on. Land that I love. The back wheels on the cart are antique, and some of the parts he used, like the axle, came off of my dad’s old race car. The piece is irreplaceable to me. 

I will forever cherish this table. It means so much to me that my grandpa made it and I couldn’t be more proud to display it in our home. I’m looking forward to posting pictures of the table soon once my parents deliver it. Stay tuned for updates!

My flower girl...

Macie Quinn amazes me… I never knew what an impact my little niece would have on my life, but ever since she came into the world, my world has gotten a little better. 

First of all, she is hilarious. I laugh all the time when I’m around her. She has a wild imagination that makes you want to be a child again, but yet she has a grown up understanding of so many things beyond her years.   

 She is extremely smart and talented. There aren’t many words she cannot say clearly and she is already reading, counting, adding, spelling and the list goes on. She has a full list of songs that she will gladly sing upon your first request, and it doesn’t matter who is in the room to hear her. I have yet to see her get bashful. She is tender hearted just like me and some would say we're both slightly dramatic... It’s addicting to want to be around her because she and Emery always brighten my day. 

But the thing that draws me to Macie the most is her endearing love for everyone around her. I always knew I wanted to be a momma one day, but she helped confirm that. Bobby and Alexas have done an amazing job raising a beautiful little girl.

Macie Quinn, I love you!

All natural...hopefully!

We recently decided we’re going to try to have baby girl naturally, with no epidural or drugs. We have been reading The Bradley Method, which I would highly recommend, and I also ordered the HypnoBirth DVDs this week. I’ve read amazing reviews about both The Bradley Method and HypnoBirth. So I figure you can’t go wrong applying both methods!

We’re also looking into different places to have baby Bradbury. Our current doctor and midwife are tied to CMC Pineville, but we’re also looking at Carolina Community Maternity Center. One of the most important points of The Bradley Method is to have minimal distractions. I know in the hospital there will be lots of distractions… compared to the birth center where there seems to be more freedom. I know there are pros and cons to both so we plan to tour both and then hopefully make a final decision before my third trimester.

The Bradley Method is also husband coached, so it is probably going to be very interesting and comical to look back on. I pray God gives Joel strength because Lord knows he will need it!

New Member of the Family

Dear Baby B.,

Today, we were blessed with the arrival of your cousin, Brooks Matthew Dean. He entered the world at 4:07am. I am told he has a tuft of brown hair and weighs 7lbs 15 ounces. I also hear he is a very sleepy baby so far. Aunt Ginger and Brooks are both doing well and Landon is very excited to have a little brother.

We can't wait for you to meet him and all your cousins. You're going to have so many playmates waiting on you. Sleep tight and continue growing! You're going to need all your strength when you enter this world to keep up with all your cousins. 

Love,
Mommy

Back where I come from…

When I was 18, I couldn’t wait to get out of my small town. I felt I had seen all it had to offer more than once, and I was ready to experience new territory.

When I left, there wasn’t much looking back, as I was ready to embark on my own journey. After a couple years away and some new experiences under my belt, I began to think about my small town in a different way. Something was changing… when I came back to visit my parents, I wasn’t just focused on getting there and getting back to my life. I started to notice my surroundings, the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains (shown in the picture to the right taken in Ashe County near Jefferson), the friendliness of the town and everyone you pass by on the street, the small shops, the community and the fresh air. All the things that I had somewhat took for granted growing up, or didn’t know to appreciate.

The temperature immediately changes just as you reach the top of the mountain and go under the Blue Ridge Parkway Bridge that I like to call a tunnel. I always make Joel beep the horn so I can hear it echo as we pass through. The roads are curvy and fun to drive on, even when the other cars are driving slowly, “Sunday drivers” as my dad likes to call them. Everything slows down and the one thing I wanted so badly to get away from I can’t wait to get back to.  There is something wonderful about growing up in a small town. 

I’m from Lansing, NC, a one stop-light town, that while small, has all the necessities one could need. There’s a small grocery store, church, bank, post office, hardware store, restaurant, a handful of shops, a newly built walking trail and when I was growing up, that’s where the school (now a haunted house) was too. Lansing is located in Ashe County, known for Ashe County Cheese, Arts & Crafts, The Frescoes and the place where I used to work in high school, New River Outfitters. The population of the actual town of Lansing was 151 people in 2000 compared to Charlotte’s 700,000+. Charlotte is still considered a small city, but it’s a huge difference from what I was accustomed to. 

The thing I love about Lansing the most is the sense of community. Growing up in a place with such a small population, everyone knew one another and when there was a family in need, a lost loved one or a joyous occasion, there were many families and neighbors there to provide support in whatever way needed. My church family was like my family and our neighbors were our friends. Living in a small town shaped me into the person I am today, and I wouldn't change a thing. I think I'll always be a small town girl at heart.